Hawaii – Day 4 – Going for a Drive!
Today dawn cloudy and rain is scheduled to fall. That doesn’t stop us from renting a cool white Mustang convertible and heading down the highway to see what we can see.
Dole Pineapple Plantation is one of the first stops we make. I have been there before but the beauty of it is overwhelming. The plants are colorful and lush . . . they seem never ending. I’m just like a kid in a candy store, but it isn’t the store that excites me. Rather it is the plantation itself. I’ve never seen how a pineapple grows and it is unbelievable. As we look at the plants, we see the pineapple’s growth in varying stages.
The color of the leaves and the flowers of the other plants grab my attention and I can’t take my eyes off the vibrant reds, yellows and greens. They draw me in and I can’t look away. I take many pictures because I want to capture their essence and captivate you, my readers, as they have captivated me. There is so much to see and even though it is lightly raining, I just keep moving from one plant to another.
The variety of vegetation is so interesting. We not only see the growth of pineapples but we also come across Cacao trees. This is where Waialua Estate Chocolate is grown. There are several pods on the tree and each pod contains approximately 30 to 40 beans. Each cacao tree produces between 40 – 100 football-shaped pods. The trees caught my attention but the pods were a pleasant surprise. You will see in the pictures that they sometimes are hard to see as they blend into the vibrant colors surrounding them. There is always something see no matter which way we turn.
As we ventured around the plantation, there was a young man seated by the building hand carving totem poles. His movements seemed effortless and the outcome stunning. I took several pictures and he was very kind to allow me the intrusion into his artistry. It was amazing to watch the incredible amount of talent that seemed so natural in the surroundings. I am truly humbled as I stand watching him work. He is warm and welcoming which makes me appreciate his talent even more, I can barely tear myself away because I want to watch him finish this piece he is working on. After a few more minutes, my curiosity of what is inside is calling me, especially if there is pineapple to sample. Did I tell you it is one of my favorite things . . . you will find out the other one in an upcoming blog post.
As we walk inside, we see a lady showing us how to cut, core and slice a pineapple. I can tell you from experience she makes it look way easier that it was for me! The beautiful slices are placed before us and she sprinkles some Li Hing powder over the top of one of the trays. Of course I have to try that one to see what the added flavoring does to the flavor. It is a bit sweet, sour and salty. It intensifies the pineapple flavor and makes me want more. I did buy a package to bring home to put on my pineapple.
I don’t know if it is because it is so fresh, but pineapple in Hawaii is something I could eat every day! The interesting thing is when we went to McDonalds to grab a quick breakfast one morning, we got pineapple with our meal – FREE!!!
We spent quite a bit of time at Dole but our day isn’t over yet. We have so much more to share and I will do that in my next blog! Stay tuned as you won’t want to miss one minute of our island drive!